The present disclosoure relates generally to a device with provisions for mounting test subjects, such as agricultural planter disc blades and planter disc blade assemblies, and one or more movable sensor systems for sensing qualities relative to the test subject, and simultaneously capturing the data via statistical process software and a dedicated computer.
For over 100 years, farm planter disc blade manufacturers have competed to provide consumers with the best products and service possible. Consumers, mainly farm implement retailers and agricultural farmers, have emphasized the importance of planter disc blades that are consistent in their specifications and set standards for longevity, wearability, and performance. In constructing such a product, disc blade manufacturers have realized the importance of maintaining high standards of quality assurance and control (“QA/QC”) during manufacturing processes. Particularly, when using planter disc blades in a v-shaped configuration to create furrows in soil, the blades should have uniform and consistent dimensions to guard against the possibility of collision between the two angulated disc blades. Such a collision may damage the planter disc blades and alter their revolutions, thus hindering any expectancy of furrows of consistent depth and width. Therefore, if consumers can be assured that the disc blades they purchase have uniform and consistent dimensional characteristics and produced to within the required specifications, they will return as customers.
Disc blades of the highest quality take on unique physical characteristics of the raw steel used and special manufacturing processes, such as heat treating. Thus, high quality blades will be unique in shape, concavity, and diameter and will have a uniform radial revolution (“eccentricity”) without undue side-to-side movement (“wobble”). In the past, the only way for disc blade manufacturers to insure the batch-by-batch uniformity and consistency of its blades were to test the disc blades by hand, using a caliper, which was time-consuming, inefficient, and ultimately costly. Additionally, a lack of a “control” to analyze against caliper-measured eccentricity and wobble values prevented consumers from receiving a guarantee of the qualities of the disc blades they purchased.
Manufacturers of farm equipment, specifically disc blades, have come to realize that an automated form of testing for eccentricity and wobble, combined with automated data acquisition, and separate manual recording or keyed data, would be more time efficient, exact, and consistent, thus increasing performance and quality assurance. Specifically, by using a device comprising a stand for the mounting of disc blades and at least one adjustable sensor assembly indicator, such as a Mitutoyo Digimatic Indicator (available from Mitutoyo America Corporation, Aurora, Ill.), the details of which are herein incorporated by reference, statistical data concerning the QA/QC of disc blades can be achieved efficiently, exactly, and uniformly, serving to increase consumer satisfaction and performance of the disc blades. After such a sensor assembly indicator records qualitative dimensional data (eccentricity and wobble), through at least one revolution of a disc blade, and compares it against a set datum point, a manufacturer can, using the recorded data, be alerted to a specific batch of faulty disc blades. Such notification of sub-standard disc blades will allow a manufacturer to adjust the disc blade formation process and remedy the problem before the faulty disc blades make their way to the consumer, thus insuring that the consumer of a quality product.
Therefore, the present disclosure helps to insure dimensional characterization of planter disc blades so as to efficiently and exactly provide customers with the best quality product and service possible.
This disclosure also helps to acquire statistical process data of dimensional characterization of planter disc blades and develop historical statistical data so as to provide a control for future QA/QC measurements.
The disclosure provides a checking fixture, with provisions for a mounting shaft and one or more sensor assembly indicator systems. In one embodiment, the checking fixture, made of metal or some other sufficiently rigid material, consists of an upright stand that is offset at an angle, such as a ninety-degree angle, with respect to a supportive base. It is contemplated that, based on this disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the stand may be offset from the base at angles other than ninety degrees.
The checking fixture also has provisions for a center mounting shaft, extending at an angle, such as ninety degrees, out from the upright stand. Such a center mounting shaft may accommodate any number of sized or shaped disc blade assembly bearings, including, but not limited to, rivet holes, square holes, round holes, cloverleaf holes, hexagonal holes, dual-square holes, etc. Additionally, the center mounting shaft may be located at any number of positions on the stand to accommodate disc blades with large or small diameters. For firmly securing a disc blade assembly upon the center mounting shaft, the center mounting shaft may use, but is not limited to, a first quick turn threaded nut.
A mount or gage plate of the checking fixture is detachably affixed, through a mechanism such as a hinge, and angularly offset at a ninety-degree angle from the top portion of the upright stand. It is contemplated that, based on this disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the gage plate may be offset from the stand at angles other than ninety degrees. The gage plate allows for hinged movement during placement of a disc blade assembly upon the checking fixture's center mounting shaft. In addition, the top gage plate has, detachably mounted upon it, using a second quick turn threaded nut, an eccentricity sensor assembly indicator and appropriate probe, such as a Mitutoyo Digimatic Indicator, for example.
The checking fixture also has, detachably mounted at a ninety-degree angle from the upright stand, at a predetermined position below a disc blade assembly's top edge, such as 0.25 inches, and along the disc blade assembly's face, a wobble sensor assembly indicator and appropriate probe, such as a Mitutoyo Digimatic Indicator. The wobble sensor assembly indicator may be detachably affixed using a third quick turn threaded nut. It is contemplated that, based on this disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the wobble sensor assembly indicator may be mounted at angles, other than ninety degrees, relative to the upright stand. It is also to be understood that both eccentricity and wobble sensor assemblies may be positioned at any position relative to certain specifications of a desired disc blade assembly.
Both the eccentricity and wobble sensor assemblies have an indicator and appropriate probe. The eccentricity sensor probe records variations in the radial (i.e. distance from a disc blade assembly's bearing to its outer edge) revolution of a disc blade assembly while the wobble sensor probe measures the wobble (i.e. side-to-side movement) of a disc blade assembly's path during at least one revolution. Accordingly, the eccentricity and wobble values may be measured against an original value of zero, which both sensor assembly indicators default to while at rest. Upon recording eccentricity and wobble values, the information is sent directly from each corresponding sensor assembly indicator into a multiplexer, such as a MUX- 10 Multiplexer, the details of which are herein incorporated by reference, and then channeled to and recorded on a computer, such as a Pentium II-based personal computer, using software applications such as Statistical Process Control “SPC” Real-Time, SPC Process Manager, SPC Process Analyzer, Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility, and MiniTab, all available for running on a Microsoft Windows-based platform. After collecting the data, the computer compares it against a prerecorded control, and prepares a report regarding a disc blade assembly's eccentrical and wobble properties. Upon the computer's comparison of the recorded eccentrical and wobble properties with the appropriate control properties, a generated report will indicate the desired characteristics of the disc blade assembly tested. Report information that shows a variation from the desired characteristics of the mounted disc blade assembly will alert a manufacturer to a specific batch of faulty disc blades, thus allowing it to remedy the problem before the product makes its way to the consumer, ultimately ensuring the consumer of a quality disc blade.